Diagnosed in a whirlwind!

[Louise90]

Hi all,
I'm Louise, I'm almost 22 and thought I would share my story!
Yesterday I was 101% diagnosed with Crohn's, the doctors had been almost certain up until then anyway, It has all been pretty speedy, which I'm thankful for as I've read others can be waiting years!
A week before Christmas I went to the doctors with terrible pain on the right hand side of my abdomen, the first doctor I saw thought I was 'blocked up' and sent me away with Movicol, a week later and I was sweating all through the night, tired, feeling sick, worse pain that before etc
So this time the doctors send me as an emergency referral to the SAU or surgical assessment unit, they suspected it was my pancreas, but an ultrasound, CT scan & lots of blood tests later, they are sure it's Crohn's, so I'm kept in hospital for a few days, started on Anti-biotics, 4g Pentasa and 40mg Prednisolone and am sent off home to wait for my Colonoscopy 2 weeks later!
Tapering off the steroids, and the painful stomach is back, so yesterday as well as confirming the diagnosis they've just started me on Azathioprine.
Whirlwind seems a bit of an understatement, everything has come along so quickly! although I knew something wasn't quite right, sensitivity to certain foods and bad stomachs for the past two years.
Any tips, things to expect & advice would be fantastic!

 

[Rebecca85]

Your story sounds pretty similar to mine! I bet your heads spinning! Before I became ill in April 2010 (age 24), I thought I was just lactose intolerant. Then bam! illness, hospital, diagnosis.

The thing I found most useful when I was diagnosed was keeping a food and symptom diary, to see how different foods affect you. And educate yourself on the disease.

I may be biased, but there are some wonderful people on here, so don't be afraid to ask questions, or just have a good vent if you need to.

 

[Louise90]

Your story sounds pretty similar to mine! I bet your heads spinning! Before I became ill in April 2010 (age 24), I thought I was just lactose intolerant. Then bam! illness, hospital, diagnosis.

The thing I found most useful when I was diagnosed was keeping a food and symptom diary, to see how different foods affect you. And educate yourself on the disease.

I may be biased, but there are some wonderful people on here, so don't be afraid to ask questions, or just have a good vent if you need to.

My head hasn't stopped spinning yet!
I've already discovered milk and a few veg are a no go area for me, but at the moment I'm just glad to be away from the majority of the pains.
I'm not even sure how seriously I'm affected if I'm being honest, the specialist said moderate, and the word 'bad' a few times, but no one really explained if my doses of medication were 'high' or not, I'm working up to 150mg of Azathioprine which I'm assuming is high? lol
It's just so much learning at the moment, but it's nice to have other people to ask, rather than feeling a bit lonely like I did at first

 

[rygon]

The amount of aza is dependant on your weight. Im on 150mg as well (if you look in the instruction papers with the medicine it will give the formula)

Glad its been so quick for you, some people have to wait years until they are diagnosed. There are symptoms with these meds so be careful of that ( Im on both and didnt have any)

Yeh a food diary will help a lot.If you look in the food forum theres a sticky with a list of what people can and cant eat (all down to individuals unfortunately so dont take it as gospel)

It may also be worth keeping some spare pants, tissue, wet wipes in your handbag / car. They do come in useful if you are in a flare

 

[David]

Greetings and welcome, I'm glad you joined but sorry to hear about your new diagnosis.

Educate yourself about this disease and take control. There is a wealth of information on this forum and we're always happy to answer questions.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tested your B12 and vitamin D levels yet? Those are two VERY important vitamins that Crohnies are often deficient in.

 

[Angrybird]

Hi Louise and welcome :bigwave: That was a quick turnaround! I am also on Aza but I can only get to 125mg at the mo (going up 25mg every two weeks depending on bloods). Totally agree about looking at your diet as well, having a food diary is key. Also have a look at the diet and supplements forum as there is lots of info there about this. Fingers crossed you will start to feel better soon, let us know how you get on.